2010-06-27

June 26 and 27, traveled to Enzan (塩山) in Yamanashi Prefecture to help with the preparations of Chiisana-Kezurou-Kai (小さな削ろう会).Chiisana-Kezurou-Kai is an event being held August 8-15.Two groups of carpenters, one from Japan and one from Germany, will each build a timber frame structure using only hand tools. Deer meat

2010-06-16

June 16 attended a Japan Minka Revival Association (日本民家再生協会) International Division meeting held at a beautifully renovated Japanese folk house called Wa-no-ie “Sakurai” (和の家「櫻井」). Wa-no-ie “Sakurai” hosts a day care for children and elderly and also a number of other events. This November, the Japan Minka Revival Association’s International Division is cohosting an event at Wa-no-ie “Sakurai”. The theme is building with earth.

2010-06-13

June 13 visited Matsuzaki (松崎) on the Izu Peninsula (伊豆半島).Matsuzaki is famous for tiled earthen walls, known as Namako-kabe (なまこ壁).It is also the birthplace of Chohachi (長八) (1815-1889), Japan’s most famous Kote-e (鏝絵) artist.Kote-e are colored reliefs made using trowels.

2010-06-09

June 7-9 traveled to Hokkaido to help Noda-san, a professional plasterer from Urakawa, Hokkaido, with the finish coat of Tosa-shikkui (土佐漆喰) on the walls of Square One, Toby and Maiko's straw bale house near Asahikawa, Hokkaido.Noda-san also call up Horiguchi-san, a young but experienced plasterer from Kyoto.

2010-06-06

June 5-6 attended the Minka (民家) course sponsored by the Japan Minka Revival Association (日本民家再生協会)."Minka" means folk house in Japanese.On Saturday, we helped with the renovation of a minka in Yamanashi Prefecture.Last fall I helped with the rethatching and making the bamboo base for the earthen plaster walls.This time we plastered the finish coat with Keisodo (珪藻土), a plaster described in a previous posting.On Sunday, we visited several renovated Minkas in the morning.Structure of thatch roof.Irori (囲炉裏), charcole pit.Silk worms.In the afternoon, we attened a lecture given by Amamiya-san (雨宮氏), a carpenter who uses traditional tools and refrains from using power tools as much as possible.Shed built by Amamiya-san.